


Of Fathers and Sons

by Intoxic



Series: Frostiron stuff [5]
Category: Marvel, Norse Religion & Lore, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Father and Son Relationship, Hela is Loki's Daughter, Hela is only mentioned, Howard is Dead, M/M, Mpreg, Other, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, mascara alert, not-beta, reconnecting of father and son, she sends howard to talk to Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27617198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intoxic/pseuds/Intoxic
Summary: Tony wasn't ready for this at all. How could even Loki think the engineer will be a good father for their unborn child? Tony barely managed to be responsible for himself on his best days. Stark wasn't fit to be a dad; he didn't know how to do this! The baby wasn't a machine Tony could fix. If he fucks up, it'll be forever.He was scared shitless.Tony never had a decent father figure in his life. His father preferred a supposedly dead soldier from his times. He never cared for Tony as a father should. As long as Tony can reach into his memory, there were nannies around him and Edwin Jarvis, his father's butler. Jarvis tried to partially raise him, but it wasn't enough to teach Tony how to be a father himself.So Tony goes to clear his mind and talk with the father that was long gone now only to be surprised at the end.“I need some guidance in this, dad."
Relationships: Howard Stark & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Frostiron stuff [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952353
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	Of Fathers and Sons

**Of Fathers and sons**

There were gazillion thoughts in Tony's mind ever since Loki revealed that surprise to him. He was going to be a dad in seven months. In seven months, Tony will be responsible for a small half-human half-jotun, who will be dependent on him for at least the next ten years or some more. Loki wasn't sure if their son would grow at a human pace or longer as the mage did. Well, the child will be dependent on him for quite some time. 

Tony wasn't ready for this at all. How could even Loki think the engineer will be a good father for their unborn child? Tony barely managed to be responsible for himself on his best days. Stark wasn't fit to be a dad; he didn't know how to do this! The baby wasn't a machine Tony could fix. If he fucks up, it'll be forever. 

He was scared shitless.

Let's be honest here. 

Tony never had a decent father figure in his life. His father preferred a supposedly dead soldier from his times. He never cared for Tony as a father should. As long as Tony can reach into his memory, there were nannies around him and Edwin Jarvis, his father's butler. Jarvis tried to partially raise him, but it wasn't enough to teach Tony how to be a father himself. This is why he tried his best to not conceive a child with any woman he ever was with. 

He never expected such an occurrence will happen with a man. But then… he shouldn't be surprised. After all, Loki is the god of mischief. Tony shouldn't be surprised. 

However, it didn't make it any less scary to him.

When the news finally settled in his mind, Tony decided to visit a place he hadn't come to for years. When he had gotten here, he swiped the old yellow leaves from the top and sat in front of it. He looked at the encryption written in gold on a black stone.

_Here lies_

_Howard Anthony Stark and Maria Carbonell Stark._

_Beloved parents and heroes of the country._

_*16.12.1970_

Tony was always ready in the past to debate the heroes and beloved parents part of the encryption. 

"I haven't been here for years," he said to the grave. There was no one around anyway. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't. I know it wasn't your fault dad, but… I couldn't. God… I wish you were still here, both of you."

Tony made a small pause and picked the dying rose from the grave. He wondered who came here. Was it Steve? Or someone from Shield? Tony didn't have any living relatives in America anymore. He doubted his family from Italy came here.

"I'm gonna be a dad," he revealed. "My...my fiance will give birth in seven months, you know. I'm so fucking scared, dad. I… I don't have the best experience when it comes to father figures in my life. You never showed me affection and Obie… he wanted to kill me."

Yeah, no real father figure in his life. Obie wanted to lay his hands on his company and money. So really, how could Loki expect him to be a good father? 

“I need some guidance in this, dad,” he spoke to the tomb again. “All I know is that I have to avoid the mistakes you did with me. But that’s not enough, you know. I don’t want my son to hate me as I hated you in the past. I’m scared that I’m gonna fuck this up from the very beginning. I’m not good at this. I read ten books already, but they gave me nothing. I don’t have any experience with kids.”

Tony exhaled loudly. 

“I want the kid to be proud of me one day. I don’t want him to think that his father is a jerk that never cared for him. I did it, because you never showed me another way, dad.” 

Tears pooled in his eyes at the memory of Howard, who constantly shoved him aside whenever Tony wanted to gain a small bit of affection from him. Now he knew that his father loved him, in his own twisted way. But he never showed it. Tony didn’t want to be like Howard, he wanted… he needed to be better for his son. However, it was hard. All his life he was never treated right by any of his father figures. It took a toll on him and imprinted in some ways in his brain. It was hard to overcome all of this and change for the sake of his unborn child, despite Loki’s reassurances that he’ll be a good dad. 

“I really don’t want to fuck this up, dad,” Tony spoke again. “I love the kid already to the moon and back, but I’m scared. I went through hell and back, but I never was scared of anything more than becoming a father, you know. I was so careful all my life to not become one, because I feared I’m going to be the same father you were to me. Can I even be a better dad than you?”

Tony closed his eyes and sighed. Could he be a better dad than Howard? Could he believe in himself like that? Was that even possible? Or did Howard’s antics seeped too much into his behavior that it was simply too late to change?

Suddenly Tony felt a touch, too light for a human, but it still was there. It was similar to Loki’s seidr, but not the same. 

_“You are better than me, my boy,”_ Stark heard a voice he hadn’t hear in years. His eyes shot open immediately, but there was no one there. However, the faint touch on his cheek lingered. _“You are a hundred times better than me, Tony. I am so proud of the man you’ve become, despite my mistakes. I couldn’t be prouder.”_

“Dad?” something shimmered in front of his eyes, and a moment later he could see the blurred form of a human that slowly changed into a familiar shape of his dead father. Howard sat in front of him and looked Tony in the eyes. He looked just as Tony remembered him. White hair, mustache, charcoal suit. A small smile was decorating his tired face. 

Tony’s heart quickened its pace. He couldn’t believe this. Was it his imagination? Did he drink too much last night? Wait… no… he didn’t drink. He quit heavily drinking last year when he and Loki got together for real, officially. Tony slapped himself to wake from this weird dream. He must have been dreaming. Maybe he fell asleep on the tombstone? However, after he slapped himself and looked ahead again, Howard was still there, giving him a confused look.

“You’re here,” Tony stated carefully. “I’m not dreaming?”

_“I am here, Tony.”_

“How?”

_“You have some interesting friends on the other side,” Tony raised his eyebrow in a question. “Hela, the queen of the underworld sent me here. She said something about the family’s business. She is quite a nice woman, despite being the queen of the dead.”_

Hela. Loki’s daughter, he should have thought about it. He’d have to have Loki thank her from him, or he’ll do it himself if it’ll be possible. 

“Dad…” Tony wanted to say something eloquent, but seeing his father’s face… he couldn’t stop the tears from running down his cheeks. Howard raised his hand to Tony’s cheek to wipe the tears. He couldn’t do it physically, but the thought still counted in Tony’s mind. 

_“My boy, you’ve grown into a wonderful man,” Howard said. “You’re going to be an amazing father for your son. You already are. You’re trying to not make the same mistakes that I did. I’ve been watching over you, my son. You are my biggest pride, Tony. I’m sorry I never said that to you. I’ve been a horrible father, but you will not repeat my mistakes. You will make mistakes, as any other parent does, but you will learn from them. I wish I had. I was too engrossed in other things to see how wonderful a son I was bestowed with. But never doubt my love for you, Tony. I didn’t know how to show it to you, but I loved you no less. I still do. And I will always be proud of who you are, Tony. Always. And your son will be proud of his father as well.”_

“I love you, dad.” 

_“I love you too, Tony.”_

Howard’s frame started to glimmer again. However, before he disappeared entirely, he took Tony into his arms. It was only a faint touch, but it was enough for Tony to feel his father’s love. It was such an amazing feeling. Stark wanted it to last forever, but it couldn’t. Howard kissed the top of his head and he disappeared from the earth, leaving Tony all alone in the graveyard. 

“I love you, Dad,” Tony whispered again into the air. 

As he was driving back home, Tony’s heart was lighter, his mind was calmer, his mood despite the drying tears on his cheeks was joyful. When he stepped into their bedroom, Loki was lounging on the bed with an old tome in his hands. Tony shed his leather jacket, dropped his boots, and jumped on the bed, snuggling up to his favorite god. Loki quickly gave him a curious look.

“You have red eyes,” the god stated. “Have you been crying, love?”

“I’m fine, Lo,” he replied and placed his head next to Loki’s still flat stomach. Tony rolled Loki’s tunic up and kissed the middle of his stomach before he began to speak to the child within it. “I promise you, kiddo, that I’m gonna be a good dad for you. I’ll try my best to not fuck up. I will always be here for you. Even if I’ll make some mistakes, I will never stop loving you, kid. You will always be my number one priority. You and your mother. You are everything to me, forever.”

“You’re sentimental, darling,” Loki commented, with a soft smile on his face. Tony raised his eyes on him and returned the smile.

“Maybe, but it’s true,” the mortal leaned to capture Loki’s lips in a gentle kiss. “You and the baby are everything to me. I’m going to be better for both of you.”

Years later, when Tony was at the edge of entering the underworld, it wasn’t Hela that came for his soul. Instead, it was Howard, who stepped down when Tony closed his eyes for the last time. When he opened them again, his father stood before him, with the same soft smile he offered him years ago on the graveyard. 

_“Hello, my boy,” he greeted Tony._

_“Hi, Dad,” Tony replied and leaned into the hug offered by the older man._

_“See? I told you, you’re going to be a wonderful dad to your sons,” Howard said, never releasing him from his arms. “Frey and Howie were so loved by you. You were a better father to your boys than I was to you, Tony. You taught them how to be a great father to their future children.”_

_“You think so?”_

_“I know so. I’ve been watching over you and your family, Tony. You were a wonderful father, and they will always love you.”_

**Author's Note:**

> It twirled in my mind for a while now. I decided to give it a try.


End file.
